Europa Newswire
Photo: Katsuhiko TOKUNAG/Saab
Brasilia – The Minister of Defense of Sweden, Sten Tolgfors, who is on an official visit to Brazil, meet the Brazilian Minister of Defense, Nelson Jobim, yesterday. According to Tolgfors, the Brazilian government has still not made a decision regarding the purchase of 36 new fighter jet for the Air Force. But the choice has been narrowed down to three options: the Swedish Gripen NG, the American F-18 Hornet, and the French Rafale.
Tolgfors said that Sweden did not see Brazil as a client, but as a partner. “We are looking for a partner in the development of a new generation [of aircraft].” The minister said that such successful partnerships already exist with Australia, Thailand and the Czech Republic.
“We have a very competitive offer. Our plane is not only the cheapest in price, but has the lowest operational costs,” said Tolgfors.
As for the Gripen NG motor, which uses American technology and therefore has technology transfer restrictions, Tolgfors said that the Swedish aircraft used integrated systems that permitted a wide choice of suppliers.
source: http://www.europanewsblog.com/2010/03/swedish-minister-says-gripen-ng-is-best-for-brazil.html
